By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The delay in commissioning two district jails at Nongpoh and Nongstoin has led to severe overcrowding in the Shillong District Jail.
The jail presently which has a total capacity of 150 inmates presently houses 313 inmates who are being kept in the eight barracks of the jail.
In a bid to reduce overcrowding, the jail authorities recently constructed an RCC barrack which accommodates around 42 inmates.
While on a visit to the Shillong District jail, this scribe spoke to one of the inmates who complained of severe congestion in the jail.
“We are inside a jail so we have to bear with whatever we get,” the inmate added.
On the other hand, jail authorities blame the slow trial process as one of the prime reason for the over congestion inside the jail.
DG (Prisons) Kulbir Krishan said that the situation this year has improved over the last year since there were around 360 inmates in the Shillong District jail in 2010.
Reacting to a query about the two proposed jails in Nongstoin and Nongpoh, the DG (Prisons) stated that both upcoming jails can accommodate around 100 inmates each and these jails would reduce the congestion in the Shillong District jail.
“The Nongpoh jail is almost ready and it can be handed over to us at any time while the outer wall of the Nongstoin jail is yet to be constructed and this is likely to be hand over to us in 2012,” he added.
It may be mentioned that the Construction of Nongstoin jail started way back in 2004 but has been delayed ever since.
It is learnt that the PWD (Building) had sent a proposal for revised estimate for the jail at Nongstoin which has not been approved yet. Once the government gave its approval, the construction work would resume immediately.
Earlier, inmates of the Shillong District jail had complained of poor and unhygienic food being supplied to them, but the DG (Prisons) on Sunday assured that the quality of food provided to the inmates has improved since then.
Presently, the inmates are being provided food which sums up to 2100 calories per day which includes bread, health drinks and even meat on selected days of the week, he said, while adding, “Even the NHRC has expressed their happiness with the quality of food being supplied to the jail inmates.”